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Ever had a deal where the prospect loved what you were selling? They were really into it, you had a great relationship, they said they wanted it, they said they were going to buy and then….. the deal flat lines. The prospect disappears, you are now the stalker, calling, emailing, calling again, waiting, biting your nails, heart palpitations, maybe even offering discounts or something to help bring the deal back to life. 
So what happened? In some(not all) cases, this is a deal you should have never worked. You should have stopped the deal many steps or months ago.
Time management is a sales person’s greatest asset. Yes that’s right, sales reps, not everyone is a buyer. Not every prospect is worth your time. Even if they say they are a buyer – seller beware! How does one know where to spend their time especially if the prospect is so eager to purchase? Here are the two things in which a rep can use to determine if a prospect is worth additional time.
1) Able – is this person either the decision maker or do they have access to the decision maker(s). Most of the time you’ll be dealing with influencers, which is ok as long as they are the right influencers. There is nothing a sales person can do to give an influencer more internal power. Let me repeat – there is nothing you can do to make an influencer more powerful. You can ask such questions to determine an prospects internal power:
How often do you meet with ______(insert the name of the c-suite person)
Who do you report to?
What other solutions have you recommended in place today?
2) Willable (not willing – big difference) – has 4 elements. All must be met to qualify as willable.
A) Does the prospect have a problem?
B) Do they (not you, them) recognize the problem?
C) Is it a priority for them to fix. Is there desire to fix it?
D) This problem is something your product or service can solve however the prospect might not yet know you’re the solution. In other words, is there desire to fix a problem the prospect is aware of that you can help.
What if the prospect has a major problem that you don’t really have a solution for? Move on – not worth your time. What if the prospect wants your solution but doesn’t really have a pain? Not worth your time – it’s too risky other fires will become a priority. Make sense?
Once you’ve determined a prospect is able and willable, this is where you spend your time. It’s the sales rep's job to turn the prospect from willable to willing. Willing is when the prospect now knows you’re the fix to their problem and they’re willing to purchase if they are the DM or bring you to them DM if they’re an influencer.
Spending time with a prospect because they say they love you is dangerous. Ever met a person who shares too much information too soon? You think “why?” or that’s too eager. You’re suspicious right? Well start asking, why do they love my solution? Why do they need it?
